Kansas history: 1861-1891 April 1, 2011

Jesse Chisholm, founder of the Chisholm Trail, was born in Tennessee in 1806.

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Cyrus Kurtz Holliday, one of the founders of Topeka, his wife, Mary Dillon Holliday.

Kansas State Historical Society | The Wichita Eagle

This photograph shows George Armstrong Custer, his wife, Elizabeth Bacon Custer, and his brother Thomas W. Custer, standing, in a photograph taken between 1861 and 1876.

Library of Congress | The Wichita Eagle

A tintype showing members of the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry. Company E. soldiers in the tintype are, back row from left, Elisha D. Rose, James Hunter, Volney Brown and Henry Davidson; front row from left, Lewis V. Bryan, Richard Russell, William Wendall and Cyrus Grant.

Kansas State Historical Society | The Wichita Eagle

A young Lt. George A. Custer reclining with a dog for a portrait with fellow staff members of General Fitz-John Porter, during the Civil War in Virginia. Years before leading his vastly outnumbered troops to their doom at Little Bighorn, a young George Armstrong Custer was described as accurate in math.

Library of Congress | The Wichita Eagle

Images of Fort Dodge showing the offices and barracks.

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Fort Harker, located in Kanopolis.

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Walnut Street in Ellsworth, circa 1867.

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Laying track 600 miles west of St. Louis in 1867.

Alexander Gardner | The Wichita Eagle

George Armstrong Custer and his wife, Elizabeth Clift Bacon, at their quarters in Fort Lincudy, Dakota Territory, June 25, 1876.

Associated Press | The Wichita Eagle

View of Main Street 1870 in Wichita, looking north from Douglas Avenue.

Special Collections and University Archives, Wichita State University Libraries | The Wichita Eagle

Portrait of James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok in buckskins.

Kansas State Historical Society | The Wichita Eagle

View of a dug-out sod house in Norton.

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Six members of a family standing in front of a sod house in Finney County.

Kansas State Historical Society | The Wichita Eagle

Wichita citizens posed in front of church building in Wichita, built around 1870 and used by the Protestant Episcopal Church (now St. John's Episcopal Church). The location was north of Third Street on east side of Main Street.

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General George Custer poses for an undated photo in Binghamton, N.Y.

Associated Press | The Wichita Eagle

A studio portrait of two cowboys, possibly taken in Dodge City.

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En route to Kansas, fleeing from the yellow fever.

Harper's Weekly | The Wichita Eagle

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Depot, Topeka, 1880.

J. R. Riddle | The Wichita Eagle

The Kansas State Capitol under construction in 1880.

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An unidentified family stands in front of their sod house near Norcatur. The windmill was used to get water from the ground.

Kansas State Historical Society | The Wichita Eagle

William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865), was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. Quantrill led a Confederate bushwhacker unit along the Missouri-Kansas border in the early 1860s, including the infamous raid and sacking of Lawrence in 1863.

Soldiers gather for a photo at Fort Riley's Main Post in 1861. Now, 150 years after its birth, Fort Riley remains part of the nation's defense and is intertwined in the economic and social fabric of Kansas. But historians and past commanders warn that the post's future depends on not resting upon the past.

U.S. Army | The Wichita Eagle

Cyrus K. Holliday, one of the founders of Topeka.

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John Ritchie, Kansas abolitionist.

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Charles Robinson, Kansas' first governor.

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This photo shows how much snow fell during a blizzard in 1886.

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View of the original Wichita City Hall, known popularly as the "City Building," located on the southeast corner of Main and William streets. The words "Mayor's Office" were painted on third floor window. The building now houses the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum.

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum | The Wichita Eagle

Mike Zimmerly, of Wichita, was in the process of building the Zimmerly building when he died in 1887. His wife saw his dream fulfilled by overseeing the completion of the building. It was completed in 1888. Architects were Dumont and Hayward. This building later became known as the Winnie Building.

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum | The Wichita Eagle

This building — for a Wichita watch-making business — was never completed because of the end of the economic boom of the 1880s. The business failed, no watches were ever manufactured and the building was later abandoned.

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum | The Wichita Eagle

The Franklin School, located at 214 South Elizabeth St. in Wichita. It was named for Benjamin Franklin.

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum | The Wichita Eagle

A young boy, identified as John Reed, posing with a high-wheel bicycle. Note that the pedals are attached directly to the front wheel. The wheels became larger as manufacturers realized that the larger the wheel, the farther the cyclist could travel with one rotation.